After a long day at the garage where she was training as a mechanic, Ms Wanjiru Ng’ang’a took a different route home on Thursday, April 17.
Heavy rains had flooded her usual route to their Kiboronjo home in Subukia, Nakuru County.
Ms Wanjiru’s father, Patrick Mutonga, told the Nation he became worried when her fourth-born daughter failed to return home by 7.30pm, which was unlike her.
When she did not show up, her mother raised the alarm, and neighbours joined the search.
They looked for her until late in the night without success. The family reported Wanjiru missing at the Kiboronjo Police Station.
The next morning, as her mother retraced the alternative route Wanjiru might have used, she spotted a familiar turban. On moving closer, she discovered her daughter’s body lying in a thicket with her hands placed over her head. She was barefoot but still wearing her grease-stained work apron.
A postmortem conducted at the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital on Tuesday revealed that Wanjiru died of strangulation.
“Her body was found barely a kilometre from home. Her mother recognised the turban first,” he said.
Wanjiru had completed her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) exams in 2023 and had aspired to join the Kenya Defence Forces.
However, a problem with one of her legs prevented her from qualifying, disappointing her.
Instead, she began helping her mother run the family’s small business in Subukia. Later, in January, she joined a private garage where she had trained as a mechanic for the past four months.
Mr Mutonga last spoke to his daughter on the morning of April 17, calling her from Mwea to check how work was going.
“She told me she was getting better at her job and even asked me to buy her a toolbox because she had dreams of opening her garage. We spoke for a long time and promised to catch up soon. Death has robbed me of a humble, focused and dedicated daughter who loved technical work,” he said tearfully.
He urged police to speed up investigations and ensure that those behind her murder are brought to justice.
Wanjiru’s bishop, Samwel Njogu of Messianic Gospel Assembly Church, described her as a devout and disciplined member of the congregation who rarely missed church.
“She had visible injuries on her neck. Whoever did this must be brought to book. The family is from a humble background. The government should step in to ensure she gets a dignified burial,” the bishop said.
“She was kind and hardworking. We are urging security agencies to intensify patrols in the area. Kiboronjo Police Station lacks adequate personnel and a patrol vehicle. We rely on Subukia Police Station which is not sufficient,” he said.
“A taskforce was recently formed by the President to look into such cases. Let them begin here. The last incident we had was in December when a man was killed and to date, the family hasn’t received justice,” Mr Mwaura said.
Subukia sub-County police boss Samuel Kinoti confirmed that the case had been handed over to forensic experts for further investigation and they were still awaiting results.
